We have booked ourselves on the Sugar Train ride which together with positioning takes just over three hours. So rather an early start for us which meant and an early breakfast before going ashore in the St Kitts harbour and boarding a bus for the forty five minute drive to the far end of the train line.
This railway was set up when the land was used for growing sugar cane with the UK being its largest customer but when UK started growing sugar beet the export market dried up but prior to that the train would travel through all the many sugar plantations collecting the cane and then taking it to the production site. So in 2005 they decided to use this railway as part of the intention to increase its tourist business and so a company in Seattle , USA built five carriages with and open top deck and downstairs with enclosed seating and a toilet. Mind you the train ride was so bumpy I am sure you would fall off the loo at some point.
The train would its way thro the hills and at one point two (so called) local guys performed a cultural dance which meant hoping from one leg to the other and sometime wiggling your bottom, most cultural??. This Island seems to more financially well off that the previous Islands visited as the cars and houses were all in much better condition but the habit of just dumping a damaged car or one that wont work anymore by the side of the road to let it rot away is not great.
Why is it that the tour guides feel they must talk all the time and this one was no exception and it was like when she ran out of something to say she would say the same things over again and so we heard about the number of schools and school age requirements at least three time. Sometimes it just better to shut up rather than carry on.
We got back to the cruise terminal and being a Sunday most of the shops were closed and therefore not much to do here. I forgot t mention that the cruise port has all been built on reclaimed land. The Island like many others had been rules by the Brits, then the French and then the Brits and French together and then finally there was yet another war between the Brits and the French until a treaty signed in France between the two countries and the French withdrew from the Island. This Island is now independent and has its own government.
Once back on board ship we had lunch followed by an easy afternoon with Noel sorting out photos and blogging and Jennifer enjoying a short rest and reading, yes a tough life indeed.
For dinner tonight we headed to the grill which we enjoy as its in the fresh air and then headed to the library for a last good night drink where we chatted to the Indian barman and he told us he was poached from a Dubai Hotel by Silversea as they were offering almost double the salary he was earning in Dubai and shorter times between contracts and so he and his colleagues are very happy working on this ship. We have also discovered that there are only 396 passengers on board as against the ship being able to hold 596 and so there is more staff than guests on board, no wonder the service is so good.
Tomorrow we arrive in the British Virgin Islands where you have to go by tender if you want to visit the Island.
